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Contents contributed and discussions participated by lucieperloff

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lucieperloff

Protecting Lions Helps the Whole Food Chain? Actually, We Don't Know. - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...uth-africa-wildlife-parks.html

science research extinction

shared by lucieperloff on 26 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • Although South Africa’s 30-plus species of smaller carnivores play important roles in their ecosystems by keeping populations of prey species in check, which in turn affects plant communities, managers give little, if any, thought to their protection.
  • scientists lack evidence about whether these predictions play out in the real world, especially in small reserves of the sort found in South Africa.
  • While the presence of lions slightly increases the number of small carnivore species living in an area, it decreases their overall range.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • If lions are present, they have usually been reintroduced.
  • After reintroduction, managers tend to invest significant money and effort into maintaining lion populations, i
  • They found that overall species counts were slightly higher in reserves with lions, but that, on average, lions reduced the amount of land that small carnivores are found on by roughly 30 percent.
  • “The question is, is this the natural role and a good thing for conservation, or is it a negative thing because we’re doing this in a very artificial way?”
  • More study will be required, but if smaller predators are being killed by lions or confined to certain locations where the big cats do not tread, that could lead to population declines of these species and create imbalances for other animals and plants.
  • “However, we need to take heed of the findings of this paper and direct research to ensure we have sufficient information to adapt management to a more holistic approach for the benefit of the whole ecosystem”
  • “There’s more research needed before we can say how much management and conservation priorities are aligned.”
lucieperloff

Teenagers, Anxiety Can Be Your Friend - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...teen-anxiety-myths.html

science brain science mental health knowledge anxiety

shared by lucieperloff on 26 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • A new report from the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health found that one in three teen girls and one in five teen boys have experienced new or worsening anxiety since March 2020.
  • You might be feeling tense about where things stand with your friends or perhaps you’re on edge about something else altogether: your family, your schoolwork, your future, the health of the planet.
  • But the discomfort of anxiety has a basic evolutionary function: to get us to tune into the fact that something’s not right.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • That odd feeling in the pit of your stomach will help you to consider the situation carefully and be cautious about your next step.
  • It’s more often a friend than a foe, one that will help you notice when things are on the wrong track.
  • psychologists agree that anxiety becomes a problem if its alarm makes no sense — either going off for no reason or blaring when a chime would do.
  • Feeling a little tense before a big game is appropriate and may even improve your performance. Having a panic attack on the sidelines means your anxiety has gone too far.
  • At the physical level, the amygdala, a primitive structure in the brain, detects a threat and sends the heart and lungs into overdrive getting your body ready to fight or flee that threat.
  • Though it can sound like a daffy approach to managing tension, breathing deeply and slowly activates a powerful part of the nervous system responsible for resetting the body to its pre-anxiety state.
  • Am I overestimating the severity of the problem I’m facing? Am I underestimating my power to manage it?
  • It’s human nature to want to repeat any behavior that leads to feelings of pleasure or comfort, but every boost of avoidance-related relief increases the likelihood that you’ll want to continue to avoid what you fear.
  • For example, the realities of in-person school are sure to be more manageable than the harrowing scenarios your imagination can create.
  • Knowing what’s true about anxiety — and not — will make it easier to navigate the uncertain times ahead.
lucieperloff

What the 'Invisible' People Cleaning the Subway Want Riders to Know - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...covid-mta-subway-cleaning.html

science psychology coronavirus health care

shared by lucieperloff on 26 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • , without adequate training or special equipment.
  • Instead, the cleaning crews were given a few rags, a bucket of cleaning solution and, according to several workers, a simple set of instructions: “Clean it like it’s your house.”
  • turned to contractors to help undertake the monumental task of scouring the trains in the nation’s largest transit system.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • some paid as little as half as much as the M.T.A. employees who did the same work before the pandemic began, and many without access to health insurance.
  • a labor force that has been desperate for work at a time when hundreds of thousands have lost jobs in cleaning, construction and restaurants.
  • she had worked for nearly three months without a place to eat lunch or access to the station bathroom.
  • Contractors are required to supply proper personal protective equipment, or P.P.E., and cleaning materials to their employees, officials said.
  • were alarmed by workers’ accounts.
  • Their accounts paint a picture of dismal working conditions, and highlight their unequal treatment compared with transit cleaners, who are paid up to $30 an hour and enjoy health insurance and other benefits, uniforms and MetroCards to swipe themselves into the system.
  • A worker named Juan described chasing down purse-snatchers and running to help co-workers threatened by homeless people who had commandeered their brooms and mops.
  • “Many people were getting paid minimum wage or just a dollar or two more,” Mr. Tecaxco said. “The conditions were terrible.”
  • When inspectors came, she said, no one said a word. “Truthfully, we were all afraid.”
  • Ms. Muñoz said she was fired in November without explanation. As the sole provider for her four children and parents in Puebla, Mexico, she pleaded to keep her job.
lucieperloff

America's Bald Eagle Population Has Quadrupled - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...bald-eagles-united-states.html

science research animals government

shared by lucieperloff on 26 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • The bald eagle population in the lower 48 states has quadrupled since 2009,
  • There were an estimated 316,700 bald eagles in the lower 48 states during the 2019 breeding season
  • her organization would keep working with state and federal agencies, tribes, private landowners and others to ensure that the bald eagle population continues to increase.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • truly a historic conservation success story.”
  • “When you look across the continent, the continental population is really a mosaic of smaller subpopulations,” Professor Watts said. “And those populations have started their growth phases at different times, and they will ultimately reach saturation at different times.”
  • The numbers are particularly remarkable given that the species was nearly driven to extinction in the last century.
  • The bald eagle population reached its lowest point of 417 known nesting pairs in 1963, researchers said.
  • “I really think that the population has reached a period where we are kind of moving beyond conservations restrictions,”
  • He does not see society reverting to a period where hunting bald eagles would be permitted, he said, adding that bald eagles are the United States’ national symbol. “I think they should be revered, respected and protected,
lucieperloff

In Suez Canal, Stuck Ship Is a Warning About Excessive Globalization - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...ship-suez-canal.html

science research technology covid ships

shared by lucieperloff on 26 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • international commerce confronted a monumental traffic jam with potentially grave consequences.
  • a vital channel linking the factories of Asia to the affluent customers of Europe, as well as a major conduit for oil.
  • companies can depend on the magic of the internet and the global shipping industry to summon what they need as they need it.
  • ...13 more annotations...
  • Capacity has increased 1,500 percent over the last half-century, and has nearly doubled over the last decade alone,
  • a deadly miscalculation.
  • “Masks remain in short supply globally.”
  • No one could predict a ship going aground in the middle of the canal, just like no one predicted where the pandemic would come from. Just like we can’t predict the next cyberattack, or the next financial crisis, but we know it’s going to happen.”
  • Each day the stalemate continues holds up goods worth $9.6 billion,
  • Money not spent filling warehouses with unneeded auto parts is, at least in part, money that can be given to shareholders in the form of dividends.
  • intensified the strains on the shipping industry,
  • the unloading of those containers has been slowed as dockworkers and truck drivers have been struck by Covid-19 or forced to stay home to attend to children who are out of school.
  • Retailers in North America have been frantically restocking depleted inventories, putting a strain on shipping companies in what is normally the slack season on trans-Pacific routes.
  • Even a few days of disruption in the Suez could exacerbate that situation.
  • If the Suez remains clogged for more than a few days, the stakes would rise drastically.
  • Those now en route to the Suez may opt to head south and navigate around Africa, adding weeks to their journeys and burning additional fuel — a cost ultimately borne by consumers.
  • “This could make a really bad crisis even worse,”
lucieperloff

Biden Administration Ramps Up Debt Relief Program to Help Black Farmers - The New York ... - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...debt-relief-black-farmers.html

knowledge education systematic racism government farming

shared by lucieperloff on 26 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • pledging to reverse decades of discriminatory agricultural lending and subsidy policies that have left Black farmers at an economic disadvantage and is racing to deploy $5 billion in aid and debt relief to help them.
  • Now the department is in the middle of a drastic overhaul, both of its personnel and of policies that it acknowledges have perpetuated inequality in rural America for years.
  • root out the vestiges of racism at his agency and to redress “systemic discrimination” that Black farmers had faced.
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • The Agriculture Department has faced sharp criticism from minority farmer groups for lacking diversity and ignoring complaints of bias in its programs.
  • That includes $8 billion that the Agriculture Department will use toward crop purchases, grants to food processors and distributors, and other programs to help farmers struggling with the pandemic.
  • The bill also provides “sums as may be necessary” from the Treasury Department to help minority farmers and ranchers pay off loans granted or guaranteed by the Agriculture Department, providing debt relief and aid for members of minority racial and ethnic groups that have long experienced discrimination at the hands of the government.
  • With the onset of the coronavirus, many farmers were forced to plow under crops or dump their milk, even as grocery store shelves emptied out and many American families went hungry.
  • A driving force behind the provisions for minority farmers was Raphael Warnock, the Democratic senator from Georgia whose election in January helped give Democrats control of the chamber.
  • Those factors led to a substantial loss of land.
  • The bill would provide billions of dollars in rental and utility assistance to people who are struggling and in danger of being evicted from their homes.
  • “If we had the same amount of investment that the other farmers had, a lot of Black farmers would still be farming this date.”
  • Injecting race into the relief effort has stirred backlash and criticism from some Republican lawmakers who have described the program as a kind of “reparations” for discrimination toward Black farmers.
  • “The same people who are complaining and using language to try to vilify this priority for African-American farmers are the same people who didn’t say a peep when tens of billions of dollars went out to the richest farmers in America,”
  • Mr. Vilsack is creating a commission to be a watchdog for racial equity issues at the agency
  • “Black farmers don’t trust the United States Department of Agriculture.”
lucieperloff

Covid-19: How Much Herd Immunity is Enough? - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...mmunity-covid-coronavirus.html

coronavirus immunity science research bias knowledge

shared by lucieperloff on 26 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • Scientists initially estimated that 60 to 70 percent of the population needed to acquire resistance to the coronavirus to banish it. Now Dr. Anthony Fauci and others are quietly shifting that number upward.
  • It gives Americans a sense of when we can hope to breathe freely again.
  • And last week, in an interview with CNBC News, he said “75, 80, 85 percent” and “75 to 80-plus percent.”
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • He is doing so, he said, partly based on new science, and partly on his gut feeling that the country is finally ready to hear what he really thinks.
  • Now that some polls are showing that many more Americans are ready, even eager, for vaccines, he said he felt he could deliver the tough message that the return to normal might take longer than anticipated.
  • We really don’t know what the real number is. I think the real range is somewhere between 70 to 90 percent.
  • not sure there will be enough voluntary acceptance of vaccines to reach that goal.
  • They also came with a warning: All answers are merely “guesstimates.”
  • Humans move around, so studying disease spread among them is far harder.
  • It took about two months to be certain that there were many asymptomatic people who had also spread the virus.
  • The more transmissible a pathogen, the more people must become immune in order to stop it.
  • Dr. Dean noted that to stop transmission in a crowded city like New York, more people would have to achieve immunity than would be necessary in a less crowded place like Montana.
  • If we can vaccinate almost all the people who are most at risk of severe outcomes, then this would become a milder disease.”
lucieperloff

Some Elephants in Africa Are Just a Step From Extinction - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...ephants-africa-endangered.html

education psychology science research animals

shared by lucieperloff on 26 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • The threat of extinction has diminished the odds of spotting one of these wood-dwelling elephants in recent decades,
  • The shy forest elephants have lost nearly nine-tenths of their number in a generation and are now critically endangered — just one step from extinction in the wild.
  • The population of savanna elephants has fallen at least 60 percent, the team found. Forest elephants have declined by more than 86 percent.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • More than two decades ago, a study of 295 skulls in museums found “enormous differences” between the two types of elephants, he said. In life, forest elephants have smaller bodies, rounder ears and straighter tusks than savanna elephants.
  • Elephants being killed for their ivory tusks isn’t a new problem, and neither is the habitat loss they face.
  • Savanna elephants are “thriving,”
  • “At the moment we are getting to the minds of the people,” Dr. Okita said. “But we need to get to the hearts.”
lucieperloff

Why Older People Managed to Stay Happier Through the Pandemic - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...id-pandemic-happiness-age.html

covid mental health psychology

shared by lucieperloff on 23 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • that age and emotional well-being tend to increase together, as a rule, even as mental acuity and physical health taper off.
  • that age and emotional well-being tend to increase together, as a rule, even as mental acuity and physical health taper off.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 23 Mar 21
       
      this makes sense bc older people have had more experiences to learn how to cope with stress
  • Do people somehow develop better coping skills as they age?
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Yet their moods remained elevated, on average, compared with those in younger generations, the survey data showed — despite the fact that both groups reported the same stress levels.
  • Older people, especially those with some resources, have more ability than younger adults to soften the edges of a day, by paying for delivery, hiring help, staying comfortably homebound and — crucially — doing so without young children underfoot.
  • when people are young, their goals and motives are focused on gaining skills and taking chances, to prepare for opportunities the future may hold.
  • They have come to accept themselves for who they are, rather than who they’re supposed to become.
lucieperloff

Why We Reach for Nostalgia in Times of Crisis - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...coronavirus-nostalgia.html

psychology knowledge

shared by lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • Even things in recent history that I thought were awful only a few months ago — failing to avoid “Avengers: Endgame” spoilers, or the White Claw seltzer shortage — now pale in comparison to the ongoing trauma of … all of this.
  • Even things in recent history that I thought were awful only a few months ago — failing to avoid “Avengers: Endgame” spoilers, or the White Claw seltzer shortage — now pale in comparison to the ongoing trauma of … all of this.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Nostalgia can be an escape
  • “Trauma takes away our gray areas. It divides our timeline into a before and an after,”
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      The 'before' can be very comforting
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • “I have reached out to a few friends from high school in recent weeks, some of whom I haven’t talked to in years, and we’ve been in close contact lately.”
  • “So if you watch a movie and remember who you watched it with as a kid, and maybe connect with that person and you reach out to them instead of just drowning in isolation, that can be really helpful.”
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Leads to connecting with people who you haven't connected with in a long time
  • In this case, nostalgia serves as a kind of emotional pacifier, helping us to become accustomed to a new reality that is jarring, stressful and traumatic.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      It gives you something to hold on to
  • during times of duress, our brains often take us to places that we subconsciously designate as “safe,” like past memories of a joyful vacation or happy childhood moments that made us feel loved.
  • To harness that response, Dr. Saint-Jean suggests making a list of safe places when you’re not stressed, anxious or experiencing the mental and physical ramifications of trauma.
  • “I’ve definitely been dressing more like my teenage self,” she said, “partly because I’ve been opting for comfier clothes anyway, but also because it feels good to lean into ’90s fashion and invoke the feeling of simpler times.”
  • ”While people are going to a past place for coping, it may not necessarily be a healthy place,”
  • Which is why, according to Dr. Stoycheva, self-awareness is key when navigating not only the present moment, but the ways in which nostalgia presents itself as a coping mechanism.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      You have to be aware of how nostalgia affects you
lucieperloff

A Theory About Conspiracy Theories - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...ology-conspiracy-theories.html

social media conspiracy theories susceptibility knowledge education

shared by lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • More than 1 in 3 Americans believe that the Chinese government engineered the coronavirus as a weapon, and another third are convinced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has exaggerated the threat of Covid-19 to undermine President Trump.
  • Another is less so: a more solitary, anxious figure, moody and detached, perhaps including many who are older and living alone.
  • all conspiring to use Covid-19 for their own dark purposes.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Taking advantage of a very realistic fear and making it much more dramatic
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • Still, psychologists do not have a good handle on the types of people who are prone to buy into Big Lie theories, especially the horror-film versions.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      To an extent, most people are prone to buy into these theories
  • The theories afford some psychological ballast, a sense of control, an internal narrative to make sense of a world that seems senseless.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      People don't like thinking things are random!! They like having some semblance of control!!
  • “With all changes happening in politics, the polarization and lack of respect, conspiracy theories are playing a bigger role in people’s thinking and behavior possibly than ever,”
  • Conspiracy theories are as old as human society, of course, and in the days when communities were small and vulnerable, being on guard for hidden plots was likely a matter of personal survival,
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Believing conspiracy theories could have been important to survival at one point in time
  • More than 1 in 3 Americans believe that the Chinese government engineered the coronavirus as a weapon, and another third are convinced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has exaggerated the threat of Covid-19 to undermine President Trump.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Conspiracy theories affect everyone around us. Constantly.
  • “You really have a perfect storm, in that the theories are directed at those who have fears of getting sick and dying or infecting someone else,”
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Theories take advantage of those who already are extremely vulnerable and stressed
  • About 60 percent scored low on the scales, meaning they were resistant to such theories; the other 40 percent ranged above average or higher.
  • For example, qualities like conscientiousness, modesty and altruism were very weakly related to a person’s susceptibility. Levels of anger or sincerity bore no apparent relation; nor did self-esteem.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Are these the results scientists were expecting?
  • The personality features that were solidly linked to conspiracy beliefs included some usual suspects: entitlement, self-centered impulsivity, cold-heartedness (the confident injustice collector), elevated levels of depressive moods and anxiousness (the moody figure, confined by age or circumstance).
  • It’s a pattern of magical thinking that goes well beyond garden variety superstition and usually comes across socially as disjointed, uncanny or “off.”
  • when distracted, people are far more likely to forward headlines and stories without vetting their sources much, if at all.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Distractions can easily be undermined and make people believe conspiracy theories
  • They have a core constituency, and in the digital era its members are going to quickly find one another.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Spread through the internet and social media
lucieperloff

Meet a Bee With a Very Big Brain - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...bees-brains.html

science research brain science brains

shared by lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • The large shaggy bee also has a very large brain.
  • The large shaggy bee also has a very large brain.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Relative to other bees? Or to similar sized insects?
  • That means when it comes to insects, the rules that have guided brain evolution in other animals may not apply.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Makes sense because insects and mammals have had very differnt evolutionary obstacles to overcome and survive
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • “Bees manage surprisingly complex behavior with tiny brains,” making the evolution of bee brains an especially interesting subject.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Maybe the size of the bee's brains doesn't actually relate to their intelligence
  • Bees that only go through one generation each year have larger brains, relative to their body size, than bees with multiple generations a year.
  • A bee with a broad diet can fly into a field and drink the first nectar it finds. But a bee with a specialized diet may have to spot its preferred bloom, with its specific color and fragrance, among a whole field of similar flowers — a task that might require more brain.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      This is where it could be more important for bees to have larger brains
  • Larger brains have also been linked to social behavior in primates and other mammals. But scientists found no connection between brain size and whether a bee lived in hives like honeybees or was a loner like our big-brained aster-eater.
  • “Highly social species have smaller brains because each individual is more like a cell in the body of the hive,”
  • Dr. Tibbetts said that even for vertebrates, whether bigger-brained animals are smarter is a topic of wide debate.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      You can't really compare the intelligence of a bee and another vertebrate
lucieperloff

When It Comes to Octopuses, Taste Is for Suckers - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...octopus-arms-taste.html

research science brain science animals

shared by lucieperloff on 02 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • (Even after amputation, these adept appendages can still snatch hungrily at morsels of food.)
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Octopus tentacles have many abilities - not just movement
  • The cells of octopus suckers are decorated with a mixture of tiny detector proteins. Each type of sensor responds to a distinct chemical cue, giving the animals an extraordinarily refined palate that can inform how their agile arms react, jettisoning an object as useless or dangerous, or nabbing it for a snack.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Octopuses can know what they are touching and know if they can consume it
  • That arm has all the cellular machinery to taste your tongue right back.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Each type of sensor responds to a distinct chemical cue, giving the animals an extraordinarily refined palate that can inform how their agile arms react, jettisoning an object as useless or dangerous, or nabbing it for a snack.
  • Octopuses certainly know how to put that processing power to good use.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Octopuses are smart and can behave intentionally
  • By mixing and matching these proteins, cells could develop their own unique tasting profiles, allowing the octopus’s suckers to discern flavors in fine gradations, then shoot the sensation to other parts of the nervous system.
  • Underwater, some chemicals can travel far from their source, making it possible for some creatures to catch a whiff of their prey from afar. But for chemicals that don’t move through the ocean easily, a touch-taste strategy is handy, Dr. Bellono said.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Being able to taste with their tentacles has many real-life benefits for octopi
lucieperloff

What Does It Mean to Have OCD? These Are 5 Common Symptoms | TIME - 0 views

time.com/...what-is-ocd-anxiety

psychology OCD mental health knowledge

shared by lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • In recent years, OCD has become the psychological equivalent of hypoglycemia or gluten sensitivity: a condition untold numbers of people casually—almost flippantly—claim they’ve got, but in most cases don’t.
  • In recent years, OCD has become the psychological equivalent of hypoglycemia or gluten sensitivity: a condition untold numbers of people casually—almost flippantly—claim they’ve got, but in most cases don’t.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      People use the term very casually - demeaning to those who actually have it?
  • Same with the pain of OCD, which can interfere with work, relationships and more.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Has more effects than just wanting things clean
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • Yet the almost sing-songy declaration “I’m so OCD!” seems to be everywhere.
  • People with a common type of OCD can even have paralyzing anxiety over their own sexual orientation.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Wouldn't necessarily have considered that
  • Since absolute certainty is rarely possible, almost no reassurance clears the yes, but hurdle, and that keeps the anxiety wheels spinning.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Lack of absolute certainty increases anxiety and doesn't let someone with OCD relax
  • It’s common for people with OCD to believe that if they check the stove just once more, or Google just one more symptom of a disease they’re convinced they’ve got, then their mind will be clear.
  • “The brain is conditioned to alert us to anything that threatens our survival, but this system is malfunctioning in OCD,” says psychologist Steven Phillipson, clinical director of the Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy in New York City. “That can result in a tsunami of emotional distress that keeps your attention absolutely focused.”
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      The brain is trying to protect you but with OCD, it goes way overboard.
  • For the person with OCD, he explains, the brain is signaling what feels like a life and death risk, and it’s hard to put a price on survival.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      the brain thinks it is helping to protect you
  • “Performing the ritual just convinces it that the danger is real and that only perpetuates the cycle.”
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      While it can be soothing, allowing the rituals to continue can be more detrimental
  • “It’s the moment when a panic marries a concept,”
  • If you can live with the uncertainty those dangers can cause—even if they make you uncomfortable—you likely don’t have OCD, or at least not a very serious case of it. If the anxiety is so great it consumes your thoughts and disrupts your day, you may have a problem.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      There are definitely varying degrees of OCD but many people don't actually have it
  • Medications, including certain antidepressants, are often a big part of the solution, but psychotherapy—especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—can be just as effective.
  • progress up the ladder of perceived danger
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Increasing the amount of fear associated with an action
lucieperloff

Are Nightmares Bad for You? | TIME - 0 views

time.com/...are-nightmares-bad-for-you

psychology brain science nightmares knowledge research

shared by lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • But experts who study nightmares say this is a pretty typical bad-dream scenario. “There’s often some threat of death or injury or annihilation, and you’re trying to escape,”
  • In some instances, a bad dream’s setting or events may be innocent, but the emotions the dreamer feels are ones of terror, disgust or distress, he explains.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      It's not so much the event as it is how it makes you feel
  • “For people who have significant nightmare problems, it’s also common is for these individuals to actively try to avoid sleep in order to avoid having nightmares,” he says. “When they do have [a nightmare], they often don’t sleep for the rest of the night.”
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Nightmares can lead to sleep deprivation
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Chronic poor sleep can cause a whole range of mental and physical health issues, including depression and heart disease.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Nightmares have many effect other than just being tired
  • In many cases, they may help the dreamer ameliorate some of their daytime anxieties. Research has found that nightmares can help some people learn to better manage stress.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      How does this happen??
  • In much the same way, nightmares—especially those following an upsetting event—may allow a person’s brain to relive the event and move past it, Nadorff says.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      The brain's form of exposure therapy?
  • “We have the person talk through their nightmare and change it in a way that’s not threatening, and then they practice the new dream during the day using visual imagery,” Nadorff explains. This kind of daily rehearsal can help reshape the scary dream even while a person is sleeping.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      This seems much more difficult and abstract
lucieperloff

12 Ways People Say Their Anxiety Has Changed During 2020 | HuffPost Life - 0 views

www.huffpost.com/...020_l_5f7f3914c5b664e5baba8de3

brain science anxiety social media knowledge

shared by lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • This year has tested our collective mental health again and again — from fears over the coronavirus to the isolating effects of social distancing, the reckoning on racial injustice, financial struggles, natural disasters and a contentious presidential election just weeks away.
  • This year has tested our collective mental health again and again — from fears over the coronavirus to the isolating effects of social distancing, the reckoning on racial injustice, financial struggles, natural disasters and a contentious presidential election just weeks away.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      So many more aspects in 2020 that have tested us than just the corona virus.
  • While many people with pre-existing anxiety report their symptoms have worsened in 2020, there’s also a subset who say they’ve been less anxious.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Different responses from everyone to this new trauma
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • It’s hard to break free from anxious thoughts when you’re consumed with the world falling apart with no end in sight.”
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      It's hard because no one knows (or knew) what was happening.
  • my anxiety always gave me this sinking feeling that something bad was going to happen.
  • But when the isolating isn’t by choice, and it’s to avoid a deadly disease, it can be the cause of panic-inducing thoughts that you can’t escape from.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Something that used to be a good thing created more anxiety
  • It’s as if the worry and anxiety is always at the back of my mind even when I sleep and as soon as I wake up, it overwhelms me immediately.
  • “Racial injustice doesn’t mix well with trauma, so I’ve had to do my mental illness a favor and log off of social media.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Social media can really increase all of the anxieties people feel
  • “As someone with anxiety, I already feel an unrealistic and heavy responsibility on how my actions and words affect others.
  • At first I was filled with panic, but now I’ve adjusted to this new normal.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      The initially scary realities we were faced with have become routine
  • my anxiety started to stem from not knowing when this will end or when things can go back to feeling normal.
  • Now, I realize that the world can change in a second and that I have to learn to let certain things go. Who knows what is going to happen next.
  • “My mind immediately goes to the worst-case scenario and that’s when things start spiraling for me.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      It's hard not to when this could easily be someone else's worse-case-scenario mindset
  • Today, after a few months, the COVID anxiety isn’t as strong as it was ― when, strangely, COVID is stronger than ever in my city
lucieperloff

Play-Doh Announces Play-Doh For Grown-Ups | HuffPost Life - 0 views

www.huffpost.com/...ups_l_5f96f245c5b63fd49ceeb57e

technology social media knowledge

shared by lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • The new product line contains a variety of what Play-Doh calls “Grown Up Scents,” including “Overpriced Latte,” “Mom Jeans,” “Dad Sneakers,” “Spa Day,” “Lord of the Lawn,” and “Grill King.”
  • The new product line contains a variety of what Play-Doh calls “Grown Up Scents,” including “Overpriced Latte,” “Mom Jeans,” “Dad Sneakers,” “Spa Day,” “Lord of the Lawn,” and “Grill King.”
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Is this really necessary? I mean it's definitely amusing and a little ironic but really??
  • They’re also aimed at “anyone who loves a good laugh,” Vadaketh said.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      So they're supposed to be somewhat playful
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • The push into an older generation also comes as many companies adjust to the coronavirus-changed culture that’s keeping kids and their parents close to home.
  • In 2020, when everything feels topsy turvy, it seems fitting that Play-Doh would come full circle and offer a product for adults again.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      This feels like a stretch but okay...
lucieperloff

Facebook Decides Holocaust Denial Content Is Bad, Actually | HuffPost - 0 views

www.huffpost.com/...als_n_5f8478dec5b62f97bac625c3

social media bias technology

shared by lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • A “well-documented rise in anti-Semitism globally and the alarming level of ignorance about the Holocaust, especially among young people,” Bickert said, prompted the long-overdue change.
  • A “well-documented rise in anti-Semitism globally and the alarming level of ignorance about the Holocaust, especially among young people,” Bickert said, prompted the long-overdue change.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Changing something once they realized something had to be done
  • The social media platform has become a clearinghouse for misinformation concerning virtually every subject, including Holocaust denials and anti-Semitism in general.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Facebook (and other social media platforms) have lots of influence on today's society
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Politicians have enjoyed lax enforcement of Facebook’s community standards, thanks to a loophole the social media company created that protects their posts as “newsworthy content.”
  • “By allowing this hate propaganda on Facebook,” the group warned the company in a letter, “you are exposing the public and, in particular, youth to the anti-Semitism which fueled the Holocaust.”
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      There are major reasons to fix this
  • The FBI has classified the group as a potential domestic terrorism threat.
lucieperloff

Secrets of the 'uncrushable' beetle revealed - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...science-environment-54623147

nature science research technology animals

shared by lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • Equipped with super-tough body armour, the insect can survive being stamped on or even run over by a car.
  • And the findings could give clues to building tougher materials for use in construction and aeronautics.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Can actually have a positive impact on society
  • Equipped with super-tough body armour, the insect can survive being stamped on or even run over by a car.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Oh no... Where does this thing live?
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • which allow the beetle to withstand forces of up to 149 Newtons (approximately 39,000 times the creature's body weight).
  • To test the potential of this type of structure as a way of joining different materials, such as plastics and metal, the scientists made a series of joints from metal and composites based on those seen in the beetle.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Able to improve science and technology from something found in nature
lucieperloff

Fantastic beasts in the real world and where to find them - BBC News - 0 views

www.bbc.com/...science-environment-54653165

animals research science media

shared by lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20 - No Cached
  • Muggles are being invited to see a parade of fantastic beasts at the Natural History Museum (NHM).
  • Muggles are being invited to see a parade of fantastic beasts at the Natural History Museum (NHM).
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Bringing people together through Harry Potter!
  • Interactive and immersive displays will essentially compare and contrast the different animals - the real from the imagined.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • It's a tie-up with the BBC and Warner Brothers, who brought author JK Rowlings' Harry Potter books - and their Fantastic Beasts spinoffs - to the big screen.
  • This is an opening to talk about the different ways many animals in the real world use camouflage. It's not magic, but it's still amazing.
    • lucieperloff
      lucieperloff on 03 Nov 20
       
      Creating interest for more people
  • Just as Newt Scamander wants to highlight the fragility of the beasts that exist in the magiworld, the NHM is on a mission also to highlight the vulnerabilities of the many animals threatened with extinction in the here and now.
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